Friday, April 27, 2007

Wyrdsmiths at Wiscon

This is the con that most of us go to. So I thought we might want to post our schedules for people who are interested. To keep the post from getting too huge, I'm going to put mine in comments and only note the Wyrdsmiths party on the front page. Sunday night Room #623.

4 comments:

Writing About War(Reading, Viewing, and Critiquing SF&F) Sunday, 2:30-3:45 p.m. War -- sometimes against True Ultimate Evil, sometimes against the Hatfields or McCoys -- is the backdrop of countless SF and fantasy novels. When writers write about war, do we have any ethical obligations beyond simply telling a good story? How do we write in a way that reflects our beliefs, but does not devolve into propaganda for our cause? Do any of us worry about convincing people when we're playing devil's advocate? M: Naomi Kritzer, Kelly McCullough, Eleanor Arnason, Yoon Ha Lee, Judith E. Berman

"Overnight" Success and the Experienced Writer(The Craft And Business of Writing SF&F) Sunday, 4:00-5:15 p.m. Most writers don't sell their first book. Many don't sell the second or third either. When articles and reviews talk about your "first" book or refer to you as a "new" writer when it's actually your third and you've been writing for fifteen years and selling shorts for eight, it can all feel a bit surreal. Especially because in many ways they're absolutely correct to use those terms. How should a writer cope with feeling old and new at the same time. A panel discussion.M: Ellen Klages, Kelly McCullough, Jennifer Stevenson, Lori Devoti, Shana Cohen

Teaching SF & F(The Craft And Business of Writing SF&F) Monday, 10:00-11:15 a.m. Bringing SF & F into the classroom: what are some different approaches for primary school, high school, undergrad, postgrad? Creative approaches to introducing SF & F (examples: as an ethics course, in film studies, pop culture, in gender studies, science programmes, etc.) Devising syllabi and reading lists: go with the "classics," or take a cannon to the canon? What if your department head thinks science fiction has cooties?M: JJ Pionke, Kelly McCullough, Patrick James Rothfuss, Cat T. Rambo, Trent Hergenrader

Please Explain Slash To Me (Reading, Viewing, and Critiquing SF&F)Saturday, 10:00-11:15 a.m. Slash fans and authors explain the appeal of their chosen pastime. Why are women in particular so drawn to this form of expression, as readers and writers? What's so special about mucking around in someone else's fictional world?JJ Pionke, M: Sharyn November, Rebecca Marjesdatter, Lyda Morehouse, Yoon Ha Lee

Sexism: A Spotter's Guide (Feminism, Sex, and Gender)Saturday, 1:00-2:15 p.m. It's relatively clear what makes a work feminist...relatively... but in these days of more subtle sexism, and required at least lip service to equality, what makes a work non-feminist, or antifeminist?Graham Sleight, M: Lyda Morehouse,Betsy Lundsten,M. J. Hardman, Lee Abuabara

Broad Universe Rapid Fire Reading (Readings)Saturday, 4:00-5:15 p.m.in AssemblyMembers of Broad Universe read very short selections from their work. (Note: 10-15 members of Broad Universe will read. The group usually includes both well known and beginning writers. This program usually runs about an hour. Kristine Smith, Jennifer Pelland, Katherine Mankiller, Lyda Morehouse, Sue Lange, Anne Harris, Rina Elson, Jennifer Dunne, Leah Rose Cutter

Transsexuality as Trope (Feminism, Sex, and Gender)Sunday, 10:00-11:15 a.m. Much science fiction and fantasy of recent years deals with changing sex. But it treats it as a trope rather than a process: LARQUE ON THE WING, I WILL FEAR NO EVIL, "Changes," the work of John Varley. While there is no denying the usefulness of transsexuality as a trope in discussing the social construction of gednder, what are we missing by eliding transsexuality's nature as a process?Jennifer Pelland, M: Lyda Morehouse, BC Holmes, Elizabeth Bear, Charlie Anders

Battlestar Galactica: The Debate (Reading, Viewing, and Critiquing SF&F)Sunday, 2:30-3:45 p.m. in Senate AIs the new BSG the most pro-feminist SF show ever, or is it a secret sexist scourge? Opinions differ -- markedly. So, let's debate! Instead of a panel, this programming item will consist of one pro-BSG representative, one anti-BSG representative, and one moderator.Jef a. Smith, Annalee Newitz, M: Lyda Morehouse

The Author's Blog: Does It Help? Does It Hurt?(The Craft And Business of Writing SF&F) Sunday, 2:30-3:45 p.m.Many SF/F writers post entries to the web -- works in progress, comments on work already out there, and more. This panel will discuss the benefits and pitfalls authors have encountered online. Come listen and consider what works and what doesn't.Kristine Smith, Sean M. Murphy, Michael Mornard, M: Lori Devoti, Stephanie Burgis

Resources

Wyrdsmiths Collections

Our two collections are printed in a limited edition of 250 numbered copies and signed by the contributors when available. Click on the images below to purchase them through Dreamhaven Books, or contact us to order directly.